Breaking The Surface
by chuoonie
Summary: Draco is forced to teach Hermione how to fly. In an attempt to retrieve her letter, she falls. Draco tries to save her, only to have both of them plunge into the lake. Not knowing where they had ended up, the two must risk their lives to save each other..
1. How To Fly

**Disclaimer:** Nothing and no one belongs to me. Everything and everyone belongs to J.K. Rowling.

**A/N:** This is my first story, ever to be written on this site. Just thought I'd throw that out there so you'd all go easier on me. Just kidding. Kind of. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

"Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger, please see me after class." McGonagall's voice echoed across the room.

Harry and Ron glanced at their friend in confusion. She shrugged, assuring them that she had no idea as well.

Hermione was Head Girl of their seventh year. And unfortunately for her, Draco was Head Boy. This required for them to not only share a common room but to act in a civil manner towards each other in front of their peers. In order to prevent any heated arguments in public, they stayed out of each other's ways and avoided any form of contact with each other, only speaking when necessary. But in their safe, private walls of their dormitory, everything returned to normal as they battled for dominance in superiority through name-calling and any form of annoyance towards the other.

Class ended. Hermione looked back at her two friends.

_We'll wait for you outside_. Harry mouthed to her. She nodded, grinning, before turning towards their professor. Draco slid next to her silently.

"You wanted to see us, professor?"

"Yes. As you know, we will be holding the annual quidditch tournament between all the houses. It is tradition here at Hogwarts for the Head Boy and Head Girl to ride out on their brooms, flying around and wishing every member who is participating good luck." Hermione's eyes widened.

"Is there a problem miss Granger?" McGonagall raised her eyebrow.

"No, I—I, it's just that—" Hermione stuttered. "I don't know how to ride a broom." She finished sheepishly, her cheeks turning red. McGonagall looked genuinely surprised. Draco took all he could to not burst out laughing. Even in doing so, he let out a stifled snicker. The professor looked at him sternly as she turned to the now deeply embarrassed Head Girl.

"Well, then I guess mister Malfoy will have to teach you."

"What?!" Hermione and Draco both screamed.

"Why can't her precious Potter do it?" Draco spat. No way was he teaching the Mudblood how to ride a broom!

"He will be assigned a different task. Mister Malfoy I hope there will be no problem in teaching your fellow Head."

"But—!" Draco tried to protest.

"That's enough, mister Malfoy. You will do as I say. Now head to your next class. I will be checking up on your progress later in the week." She said, turning her back on the pair. Hermione collected her books silently muttering at how absurd the situation was. She headed towards the door, slightly thrown off as Draco angrily shoved past her. She sighed and followed him out the door.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked as she stepped out of the classroom. "Malfoy looked like he was about to throw a hissy fit!"

She groaned. "McGonagall's making him teach me how to ride a broom."

"What? Why? Why can't Harry teach you?" Ron exclaimed, his face turning a slight shade of red. "Yeah, why can't I?" Harry asked.

"Harry, she's assigning you to another task. You'd have no time to teach me. And Draco is my fellow Head member. Supposedly it's a part of his responsibility that I learn because we have to greet all the participating members of the annual quidditch match."

"Merlin, the world has gone mad!" Ron fumed, his face now a deep shade.

"I know. But I can handle him. Now let's head to Charms." Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Granger." A voice drawled. She looked up from her conversation with her two friends. There stood Draco waiting for her, his arms crossed.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione muttered. She could feel the cold glares Harry and Ron were shooting at him.

"Potter, Weasley. You two should be heading to your classes. I have to speak with Granger on private Head matters, if you don't mind." He said nonchalantly. Instead of leaving, they came in front of Hermione, blocking her from Draco's view. "We're not leaving her with you, ferret."

A look of anger flashed across his face. "10 points from Gryffindor."

"What the hell, Malfoy? You can't just take points off!" Ron yelled, looking quite pissed.

"I can take off more if you'd like. Just be lucky I only took off 10 for arguing against a Head and insulting me as well. Now go to class."

Right before, Ron lunged himself at Draco, Hermion placed a comforting hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "It's okay guys. Really. I'll meet you guys in charms. I told you I'll be able to handle him." Hermione said quietly, giving them a slight push towards the stairs. They continued to eye Draco coldly as they walked away, grumbling.

"Well Granger. McGonagall gave us a pass from all our classes today and for the rest of the week so I can start teaching you how to ride a broom." He smirked. Draco was in fact pleased to do this task; after all what student didn't want to get out class.

"But we'll miss all the notes!" He rolled his eyes. Except Granger of course. _How typical of the bookworm._

"Just hurry up and follow me to the field. Grab a broom from the storage room on your way." He ordered.

_Just avada me now._ She thought miserably.

* * *

"Place your broom on the ground on your ride side. Hold out your right hand and command it to come up." He instructed. "Like this. Up!" The broom flew up into his right hand with ease.

She gave it a try. "Up." Hermione's broom didn't move at all. She wanted to hex the damn broom as Draco smirked in triumph.

"What am I doing wrong? Why won't it come up?" She demanded.

"You have to will for it to come up. Say it like you mean for it to." Draco said, as if the whole thing were obvious. His face lit up. "Finally! Something I know that the know-it-all doesn't!"

She rolled her eyes, holding out her hand over her broom with sudden determination to show Malfoy that she was able to do it. "Up!" The broom flew into her hand just like Draco's had. His eyes widened in shock as she held it proudly in her hand.

"Hm, that was pretty easy when you put it that way." Hermione beamed.

"Well, seems like you got that down." He muttered, feeling a bit down, now that she was able to do it. "Now, mount your broom by swinging your right leg over it and sit on it, holding it with both hands." He demonstrated. Hermione followed, feeling a pang of nervousness when she got on her broom. It began to tremble and she was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. Draco's, on the other hand, was as calm as ever.

"Dammit Granger, you make it shake like that and you'll never get anywhere." He smirked, amused over the fact that her broom was scaring her to no end.

"It won't stop!" She exclaimed, her voice now trembling as well.

"Well if you clutch it like that of course it won't. You're practically about to break it with that grip. Ease up. Straighten your back." She did as she was told and the broom steadied. The look of unease still didn't leave her eyes.

"Now gently lift your legs off the ground and hover." He lifted his legs and began to hover, circling around her. Hermione struggled to get her legs up, reluctant in releasing them from the safe ground. _Maybe if I faint right here, I won't have to fly. Or end up in the hospital from falling from way up in the sky._ She gulped just from the thought of her crashing down. Malfoy, next to her, huffed in annoyance.

"Oh do hurry up, I haven't got all day." Draco snapped. She gulped once again, squeezing her eyes shut as she cautiously lifted her legs slightly off the ground. Nothing happened, except for the fact that she was hovering just like Malfoy was. She heard him clap. "I applaud you for making it this far, really, I do." He drawled. "About time we got to the real fun." She planted her feet right back on the ground. "You call this fun? This is absolutely terrifying!"

"And that's why you can't fly. You're too afraid." He taunted, lifting the head of his broom flying up, high above her. He took his hands off the handle to motion for her to come.

"Now you're just showing off." She muttered. He laughed loudly. "Oh I'm just getting started. And I can show off, pretty good at it too." He said, descending next to her.

"You're a conceited little git."

He yawned. "Granger, you're hurting my feelings. No stop." He said in a monotone, clearly bored with the insult she threw at him. "Can we move on with this? It's nearly lunch time and I'm starving." Taking a deep breath, she lifted her feet off the ground once again, hovering slightly above the ground.

"You lift the head of the broom slightly upwards and just lean forward. That way, the broom knows you want to move."

"The broom can feel what I want?"

"Yeah, it's not stupid like you are on this matter." He snorted, already high the air. She opened her mouth to retort but shut it, figuring it would do her no good. Carefully, she lifted the head up, clutching the handle and leaned forward like Draco said. It began to move up, steadily and slowly. Hermione wanted to scream but her voice failed her. She continued to ride up with her eyes shut until she felt someone poke her shoulder.

"Ah!" She screamed, the broom stumbling in the air.

"Relax Granger!" He gripped her broom to stop it from knocking her off. She whimpered, tears leaking from her eyes from shock and fear. He stared at her in amazement. _She was actually scared of this whole thing. I never thought I'd see the day of seeing Hermione Granger, Head Gryffindor lioness, who fought against Voldemort and death eaters face-to-face, cry because she was afraid of riding a broom. _Hermione gripped his hand, her knuckles turning white.

"Don't let go." He said, calmly. Hermione nodded vigorously. He guided both of their brooms down, slowly. When her feet touched the ground, she wobbled off her broom and fell to the ground, loving the feeling of it underneath her. Draco exhaled loudly to let her be aware of his presence. She sniffed before looking at him. He was extending her hand towards her, looking in the opposite direction. It was embarassing enough that she was crying. Swallowing her pride, Hermione took it hesitantly and he helped her up on her feet. Taking both of their brooms, he headed back to the castle, still not looking at her. She followed him inside without a word.

"We'll start again tomorrow." He said, putting their brooms back in cupboard. She nodded.

"Thank you." She called out after him. He continued walking away as if he hadn't heard her at all.


	2. Retrieving Her Letter

**Disclaimer:** Once again, everything, but this plot belongs to J.K. Rowling.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. Greatly appreciated! I'll try to update as much as possible.

* * *

"Merlin Granger, I think you got it!" Draco called up to her.

Hermione grinned as she flew through the air with more ease than yesterday. She finally understood the art of riding a broom—after reading _First Time Flying_ that she secretly borrowed from the library. It explained everything Draco had said the day before, just with more detail. Everything made sense when she read it on paper, not when they were thrown at her at first-hand experience. She steered her broom so that she was facing Draco. He looked genuinely pleased with himself for having accomplished a near-impossible task.

"Go practice flying around the quidditch field. I'll be next behind you."

Hermione nodded and began to soar through the air, starting to circle around the stadium. She laughed softly. Draco flew up next to her.

"Something funny, Granger?"

"It's just, I can't believe I was afraid of flying! Who knew, me, Hermione Granger, would be able to ride a broom?" She exclaimed.

"I know, I mean, it's a miracle that a hopelessly uncoordinated girl like you would be able to even hover." He added, "You must have an excellent instructor. I must meet this handsome fellow. He must be--"

Hermione cut him off. "Are you enjoying yourself, Malfoy?" He frowned at her. "Well I was, until you butt in." Hermione snickered at his grumpy expression. _Of course he would love to praise himself, the arrogant prick he was._

She took the moment of silence to feel the wind caressing her face and her hair, the gentle breeze brushing against her arms. It was fascinating, seeing the view of the castle from up so high in the air. She smiled absentmindedly. "It's amazing, quite enjoyable even; flying like this makes me feel like…" Her voice faded.

"Like you're free?"

Hermione looked at him, stunned at how accurate his words were. Freedom. Yes that's exactly how she felt. Draco glanced at her, who was looking at him with awe. "Take a picture Granger, it lasts longer." She quickly looked away, her face no longer pasted with a look of amazement, instead a look of embarrassment. _How long was she staring at him for?_ In silence, they finished circling the giant field.

"Malfoy," She paused. "How'd you know? I mean, how'd you know exactly how I was feeling?"

He shrugged with a vague look on his face, "It's how I felt too. You know my father," _Lucius Malfoy_. Hermione couldn't exactly forget the unpleasant man.

"He always tells me '_Draco, you're a Malfoy. You need to be better than everyone else_.'" They headed back to their common room, forgetting to put away their brooms. "For so long, I was always studying and constantly practicing quidditch so I can meet his standards." He chuckled bitterly, "But there was always one person who was in the way. "They just happened to be you or Potter." Hermione looked at him as they stood in front of the painting that led to their common room. It was true; she had noticed that he was always second in all of their classes and he was the second best in quidditch. _But never first._

"When I first flew on a broom, just to really fly, I felt like I could just get away from everything if I just kept flying. If you thought that was mind-freeing in the quidditch field, wait until you try flying out of those boundaries. Now _that's_ freedom." After he spoke, Draco realized he had spilled too much information. He coughed to avoid the awkward silence that followed.

"I'll be in my room." He mumbled, shoving past her.

"Well, Malfoy. You'll have to show me sometime." She said grinning. He turned to face her.

"No promises, Granger." He said jokingly, before walking away into his own room. Hermione walked back to her own, laughing in amusement. She, Hermione Granger, just had a civil conversation with Draco Malfoy, in a private place, without having one urge to try and hit him.

* * *

_Dear mum and dad,_

_I learned how to ride a broom! Speaking of which, I still have to inform Harry and Ron. McGonagall told me that the Heads had to participate in the annual quidditch tournament held here at Hogwarts. We have to fly around, wishing everyone luck. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know how to. But it was actually quite easy if you got all the techniques down. Easier than I expected! And you remember Malfoy from some of my previous letters, don't you? Well he's the Head Boy and he's part of the reason for my success. He's still arrogant and conceited and still annoying as ever, but he was very courteous to me in the whole process of teaching me how to fly. I think he even saved my life._

_I'm not sure if I'll be able to come home from Christmas break this year; as Head Girl I probably have duties like watching over the students that are staying here. You'll both be receiving your gifts soon. It won't be as lovely as the necklace I received but I hope it comes close. Be sure to bundle up; it's getting pretty cold. Take care of yourselves while I'm not there._

_Love, __Hermione_

Hermione touched the necklace her parents had given to her just a month before to congratulate her on making the position of Head Girl. Tracing the silver heart, occasionally grazing the tiny sapphire jewel which happened to be her birthstone, she smiled. Her parents knew exactly what suited her. Simple yet elegant at the same time. She neatly folded her letter and put it in the envelope. Hermione opened her window to enjoy the evening breeze and let the sun's light embrace her. It was different from feeling it outside on her broom, but nonetheless fantastic. Holding her envelope, she turned around to head to the owlery.

Hermione suddenly shrieked, her letter flying out of her hands and out the window. Draco stood right in front of her, eyebrows raised at her reaction to his presence. She held her hand to her heart to calm its sudden rapid beating.

"Malfoy! What in Merlin's name are you doing here in my room?!" She exclaimed.

"I knocked but you never answered, too immersed in writing a letter as I saw it. I came to collect your broom to put it in the cupboard." He informed, holding up his own as if to prove his point.

"Oh. It's right there." She pointed to her bed, where the broom leaned against the edge of it. He went and grabbed it, turning towards the door. Hermione remembered her letter and looked out the window. There, her letter sat on a ledge, half of it hanging off the edge. She whirled around and ran out of her room, finding Draco about to leave.

"Wait! I need that!"

He stopped and turned around. "What? Your broom? Why?"

She crossed her arms. "Well, it's your fault. If you hadn't appeared in my room like that, I wouldn't have thrown my letter to my parents out the window. I would like to retrieve it if you don't mind."

"Use your wand. Did you forget you're a witch? Don't tell me, you've turned yourself into a permanent muggle." He said feigning his surprise.

"Oh do shut up. It's too far for me to levitate it back. And what's the point of accio when I can get it myself this way. Plus I get to practice once more. It's a win-win situation." She replied in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone. He stared at her as if considering to give her the broom.

"Just give me the broom, Malfoy." She walked up to him and grabbed it from his hands, quickly running back to her room.

"Granger." Malfoy growled, entering her room. Hermione sat on her broom and balanced herself out of the window. Suddenly, she felt uneasy. Before on the field, she was able to do it because she started on the ground. This time, it was on the edge of a huge castle. Where she could fall, with or without her broom. Hermione looked down, gripping the edge of her window sill. She could just see her letter sitting on the ledge. _Alright Hermione, you can do it. Just fly down, get the letter, and come back up. Simple._

"Granger."

She jumped slightly from the sound of his voice. Hermione looked up straight into Draco's face. "I can get it for you if you want." He offered, seeing the uneasiness in her expression.

"No," she responded quickly. "I can do it myself, thanks."

"Whatever. Just don't fall." He smirked at the last part.

"Malfoy! Why on earth would you remind me of falling? I had everything under control until you showed up!" She yelled, still tightly gripping the windowsill.

"That way you'd back out and tell me to get it. Which I could. Easily. My offer is still in the air. No pun intended." Draco laughed at his little joke. Hermione's Gryffindor courage gathered up. "No. I already told you, I can do it." And with that she pushed off the edge. A little too hard.

The broom swung out of control, whirling her around. She couldn't even utter a sound; everything was moving way too fast. Hermione forgot all about the techniques and the feeling of freedom. She was too concerned in not falling and gripped the handle of the broom, hanging on for dear life. The broom jolted, flying out of control, getting farther away from her window.

"Granger!" Draco shouted, mounting his broom and jumping out following the wild broom. The broom flailed around in the air, zooming around, making it difficult for her to hold on. Her grip was beginning to loosen. Suddenly, the broom changed direction, making her hand slip. She was holding on with one hand. Merlin knew she wouldn't be able to hold for much longing. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as the hand she was holding on to the broom with was beginning to lose feeling. _I'm going to die. I just know it._

The wild broom's abrupt change in direction threw Draco off as he tried to catch Hermione. He spun himself around to find Hermione hanging onto it with one hand. "Hold on! I'm coming!" He shouted. Hermione couldn't hear what he said. She was deafened by the pulsing of her blood. All of a sudden, she was thrown off. Immediately, he dove after her. He extended his hand to grasp hers as if it were the snitch. He grabbed her but he couldn't stop his own broom from hitting the waters of the lake that was beneath them.

Together, they plunged into its depth and the cold water was surrounding them along with the darkness that followed.


	3. Breathe

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, none of these characters belong to me, except maybe the fake muggle studies teacher. LOL. Everything and everyone belongs to J.K. Rowling and her brilliance.

**A/N:** Well I'm on break now, so I'll be updating a lot. I wasn't planning for this to be a long story but who knows now? Certainly not me. And I'm the author. Haha. Oh and thanks for all the reviews. Means A LOT.

* * *

Cold… _everywhere_. The cold surrounded her body. _And she hated it_. She couldn't feel anything, see anything, or do anything… she couldn't even breathe. Her consciousness slowly faded, her last question being: _what happened?_

- - - - -

Draco gasped when he broke through the surface of the water. He took deep breaths, allowing the air to flow through his lungs. Finding the nearest edge, he swam to it. He used his arms to hoist himself up, struggling to get out of the lake. Draco, drenched, cold, and exhausted from the whole ordeal, lay on the soft ground underneath and took a minute to process what had happened. Looking around, his eyebrows came together as he frowned at his surroundings.

_Where the hell am I?_

There were trees everywhere and it was dark. Everything was silent, so silent that he could hear his heart's steady beating. No one else was there. He was alone…

_Alone? Wait a minute. Where's—_

Draco spun around half expecting Hermione to be right beside him. She wasn't. In fact, she wasn't anywhere at all. He stared into the water.

_Oh Merlin,_ please_ don't tell me she's still in the water… _Suddenly, he frowned. _Why should I care? It's her fault she fell into lake, not mine._

Draco stood up, stretching out his muscles and rubbing his hands together for some warmth. He looked away from the lake to find a distraction. Seeing nothing but trees, he gave up, turning out to look at the lake again. Then he saw her body, suspended right under the surface, looking almost… lifeless. _Shit._ Draco reacted as fast as his body would allow him. He dove, ignoring the shock from the sudden contact with the freezing cold water. Unable to see almost anything, he blindly swam towards a direction. Draco squinted, desperately trying to see where she was. Still swimming, he came up to the surface for air, immediately diving right back in.

Draco searched for what seemed like a year when he found a figure a few meters away from him. It was not very clear; there was no light and the figure was wearing black. Hermione was wearing black before, her school robes. It's a miracle he was able to find her at all through the darkness. Quickly, he swam to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and swam upwards with her limp body. He dragged her back to the edge. Draco pushed her body onto the grass and followed suit, needing a bit more effort this time. He paused briefly to catch his breath. His eyes were adjusting to the dark and he did his best to examine her, though it was difficult due to the lack of sunlight, or any light for that matter.

Her face was pale, similar to his own, but slightly whiter. Her skin was cold against his fingers. Her usual dry and bushy hair was not damp and pressed to her neck. He became quiet, to listen to her breathing. The problem was, she wasn't.

"Granger!" He whispered loudly, shaking her body like it was doll. "Granger, wake up!" No response.

Draco looked around for his wand, and then suddenly realized that it was back in his room. He took a deep breath, trying not to panic. Thinking hard, he tried to remember what to do in a situation like this. He knew they had gone over it before in Muggle Studies. Draco closed his eyes. _What did that bloody professor say?-- _"_When you come across someone that is not breathing and you are without a wand, then you must help them the Muggle way. Now, tilt their head back slightly, pinch their nose, and place your mouth on theirs. Breathe into them twice… then wait and see if they're breathing. If not, repeat the action until you see their chest rise and hear the sound of their breathing."_

Draco looked down at Hermione and sighed. "I really wish I didn't have to do this but Granger, this is for your own good." He pinched her nose, leaned down and put his mouth to hers. He breathed into her twice, then listened for any signs of breathing. Nothing. Draco repeated the action once more.

"Breathe Granger. Don't leave me by myself." He whispered, frustrated. Draco placed his mouth on top of hers again, breathing in large amounts of air as if the more he blew, the greater a chance to save her. "Breathe." He sounded like a broken record. Faster and faster, he kept breathing air into her. "Breathe."

_Breathe… Breathe… Breathe…_

Someone's voice echoed, over and over. The voice sounded desperate, pleading—no, almost _begging_, for her to breathe. A set of lips settled on to her own, blowing air into her mouth. Startled, Hermione began coughing out the water that was inside of her.

"Granger!"

Slowly, she cracked open her eyes, though open or closed she couldn't tell the difference. Hermione remained silent, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. Her eyes settled on a figure that was leaning over her. It was Draco. It had been Draco's voice, his lips on hers…

"Malfoy?" Her voice barely audible.

"Oh thank Merlin." He sighed with relief. Draco was quite surprised that the Muggle way of saving a life actually worked. Carefully, he lifted the upper half of her body into his arms so that she was no longer on the ground. Hermione blinked as he pulled some strands of her hair away from her face. "You okay?" Unable to find her voice, she gave a small nod. Draco put his hand to her forehead. "Bloody hell you're not. You're practically burning up."

_Burning up? What was he talking about? I'm so cold…_

He felt her hands. "And your hands are freezing. Granger, I think you got a cold."

"Wow would've never guessed." Hermione croaked sarcastically. She began to shudder as the cold night's wind blew past them.

Draco stood up, scooping Hermione up into his arms. Too worn out to protest, she swallowed her pride and allowed him to carry her. "Merlin Granger, what have you been eating?" He said grinning.

She obviously missed the smile. Huffing in annoyance at the comment, she squirmed in his arms. "Fine, if I'm so heavy, then just put me back on the ground. I'll walk by myself." And the Gryffindor pride and stubbornness was back.

"Take a joke. Blimey, tough crowd." He said, struggling to keep her in his arms. When they got to the nearest tree, he dropped her at the root of the trunk. Even without looking at her, Draco could tell she was still shivering. He began to take off his school robes, then his shirt. He shuddered at the contact with the cool night air.

"What… are you doing?" Hermione asked quietly.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Relax. I'm not going to do anything on _you_." He hung his damp shirt on a branch right in front of them and began squeezing the rest of the water out of his robes. Luckily, his robe was almost already dry, because of the enchantment the house elves had cast on it that made it dry and warm in a shorter amount of time. Unfortunately, it was only his school robes they enchanted, nothing else. He looked down at Hermione, who was looking everywhere but at him. Draco smirked. Of course his shirtless self made any girl nervous, the mudblood being no exception. "Take off your robe. And your shirt while you're at it."

"What? No!" She exclaimed, wrapping the wet robe tighter around her body.

He sighed. She was such a difficult girl to deal with. "Like I said before, I'm not going to try anything on you so relax. I'm going to hang them next to my shirt so it'll dry faster. And if you keep those on with that cold, you'll just get worse. Now give me the bloody robe and the bloody shirt."

Reluctantly and cautiously, she sat up and peeled her school robes off. Hermione noticed that Draco was watching her. She coughed, blushing. She thanked Merlin that it was too dark for him to see. "Can you turn around?"

"What?"

"I said, can you turn around?"

Draco rolled his eyes and turned around like she asked, muttering something about insecure girls. Making sure he wasn't peeking, she quickly pulled off her shirt, leaving only her tank top on. Hermione held out her clothes towards him. "Here."

Blindly, he held his hand out and searched for her clothes. Hermione giggled silently; she was teasing him by moving her clothes away from his hands when he neared them. Frustrated, he called out. "Can I turn around now?"

She pulled her knees up to her chest, still holding her clothes out towards him. "Yeah."

He turned around and grabbed her clothes, hanging them up next to his shirt to dry. He looked back at her, raising his eyebrows at her damp tank top.

"Can I at least keep this on?" She looked up at him. "Please?" She added quietly. Draco nodded, even though he knew she would regret it later. He sat next to her, his back against the tree like she had hers. Hermione scooted over, widening the small distance between them.

"I don't bite you know." Draco said smirking. "Well, not your kind anyway." With that, he moved closer to her, filling the gap. His bare skin touched hers, sending shivers up Hermione's body. She watched as he wrapped his school robes around them both; the heat of it felt nice against her cold body.

"It's so warm." Hermione mumbled starting to feel very tired.

"House elves enchanted it to make it that way."

"Oh. That's… cool…" She said, yawning. Hermione's eyes closed when Draco reached over to place his hand on her forehead again. It was still warm, but not as hot as before. _Would she be okay for the night with just this in her condition?_

"Go to sleep Granger." He said as he leaned his head back against the tree.

"Don't tell me what to do." Hermione mumbled sleepily. Draco chuckled softly before closing his own eyes. He was cold as she was. But the one spot where their arms touched, felt like fire. They drifted off to sleep, not knowing of what was to come.


	4. Hidden Forest

**Disclaimer:** All creatures, characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling herself. The only thing that belongs to me is the plot.

**A/N:** So sorry for not updating as fast as you want me to. There's a lot on my mind that I want to write at once but when I actually begin writing, everything gets all messed up and jumbly. Forgive me. And Merry belated Christmas, from where I am anyways. Reviews are always lovely.

* * *

Draco slowly opened his eyes, half expecting himself to be in his soft, comfortable bed back at Hogwarts. Instead, he found himself in a sitting position looking at a tree. A lot of trees in fact. He yawned, and then froze when feeling a bit of weight on his right shoulder. Carefully, he craned his neck to find a brown haired girl's head, gently resting on his shoulder while she slept. She was only wearing a tank top, such light clothing for the morning temperature. He looked down, frowning when he found himself shirtless. A robe, his school robes, was wrapped around them two. The girl's half was slightly sliding down her arms. Still blank in his thoughts, he reached over and pulled it up to completely cover her body.

The sun had just risen, giving him enough light to examine his surroundings. A fairly large lake was just a few meters from where he was sitting, and everywhere else was just covered with trees. There were barely any sounds other than his and the girl's steady breathing. Realization dawned on him, hitting him like a ton of bricks. _The broomstick… lake… Granger… _Granger. Slowly, he turned to look at the bushy haired girl's face.

"Bloody hell!" Draco shouted, abruptly sitting upright, pushing her head off his shoulder. Hermione jolted awake, startled by Draco's loud outcry.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" She mumbled, sleep still embedded in her voice. She tried opening up her eyes to look straight up at him but her eyelids were too heavy and she felt too tired to look. Holding her hand up to her forehead, she leaned her head back against the tree. Draco immediately felt sorry, remembering that she might still have a cold. Hermione coughed then sneezed, confirming his suspicions. She sniffed then finally opened her eyes, her eyes resting on Draco.

Her eyes widened at his shirtless body and quickly looked away. She looked down to find herself only in a tank top and covered herself with the robe, which smelled a bit like the platinum-blonde haired boy. _Did we do something last night? We couldn't have! I wouldn't have! I'm Hermione Granger for Merlin's sake!_

Hermione looked around and was confused to find them in an unknown location, surrounding by miles and miles of trees. A placid lake was sitting in the midst of the forest. She groaned when she finally got out of her dazed state and became aware of the situation. Hermione looked up at Draco who had gone to the tree branch to see if their clothes had dried overnight. He seemed to have been satisfied with it as he snatched the white shirt up and pulled it over his head, shuddering when the cold fabric came in contact with his pale skin. Draco touched Hermione's shirt and robes, seeing it was dry like his. He grabbed it from the dark branch and threw it in Hermione's direction.

It hit her in the face and she held out her hands just in time, right before it brushed against the ground. She scowled at him. "You know, a 'head's up' would've been nice."

"Head's up." Draco said, smirking. Hermione sighed loudly in exasperation. She shook his school robes off and thrust it to him, catching him off guard.

"Head's up." She smiled up at him with an innocent smile plastered on her face. He frowned, not at all liking her little revenge. Hermione pointed in the opposite direction from where she was. "Turn around."

Draco rolled his eyes and did as she asked. "Geez Granger, I don't know what you get so worked up about. You're getting dressed for Merlin's sake! And it's not like you have anything to see—"

"Oh do shut up." The witch snapped as she slipped her shirt on, shuddering like Draco had from the coldness. Then she stood up and stretched out her aching sore muscles from sitting in one position for too long, before putting on her school robes. "I'm done."

Draco turned around, silently. She, too, did not say a word. Both needed the silence to sort out their thoughts. Draco was the first to break it.

"Any idea of where we are?"

Hermione glanced around again, scanning for any signs of familiarity. She found nothing and she sighed. It was not pleasant to admit that she didn't know something. "No. I actually have no idea."

Silence fell on the two once more. Both searched their brains for any clues on where they could be. "Okay let's trace back to how we even got here in the first place." Draco suggested. Hermione nodded in agreement. "So you, being stupid, wanted to get your damn letter off the ledge by flying out the window on a broom, which you had just learned how to ride it earlier that day. Idiotically, you didn't let me retrieve it for you and decided that you could do it by yourself, and your bloody Gryffindor pride." He paused. "Am I incorrect, Granger?"

She glared at him but didn't deny it. He continued.

"You pushed yourself off the edge of the window with too much force, thus causing your broom to go out of control. Because of your inexperience with those types of situations, you clung onto the broom as if it were your lifeline, making it lose even more control. I followed you out on my broom and tried to get you. The broom practically threw you off and I dove to catch you but I couldn't stop in time, and then we plunged into the lake. Next thing you know, we end up in this bloody hell of a place and I'm saving your arse. Again, this time from drowning." He finished, exhaling as if he finally got what he wanted to say off his chest.

Hermione remained quiet throughout his whole speech. Draco was appalled at her silence. Know-it-all, bookworm Hermione, herself, actually managed to stay silent for once. "Well?"

"Yeah everything you said is true." She admitted annoyed. It was difficult for her to say it, especially because it was to _Draco Mal_foy, her rival in school. Draco would've laughed in her face if it weren't for her depressed expression. Suddenly, Hermione looked excessively excited and overjoyed.

"Portkey!" She screamed, jumping up and down.

Draco stared at her as if she were mad. "What's that got to do with—"

Hermione cut him off. "In _Hogwarts, A History_," She began. "It talked about the Black Lake, the one we fell into. The whole thing is supposedly an absurd rumor but few claimed that it was true. The book said that the lake was a special type of portkey. If it was penetrated deeply and forcefully enough, then those who broke through the invisible barrier would be transported to a place known as the Hidden Forest, which I believe happens to be here."

Hermione gestures towards the trees to emphasize her point, then looked at Draco, silently thanking that she read that book about 10 times. She smirked in triumph, for figuring out where they had ended up, but he didn't seem to notice her little victory; he was too busy trying to process her words. "So basically you're trying to say we got transported through the Black Lake to here because we went into it too hard." He said slowly, crossing his arms. She nodded. "Well how do we get out?"

"Well, it was rare for a lot of people to get here in the first place and not many people talked about it. One person just named a few stuff but she wasn't positive 'cause she didn't remember much."

"Granger, at this point, I'd try anything to leave this place. Can't we just jump back into the lake?"

"Likewise. And no. Like I said before, the lake is a special type of portkey. Once you're in, you're in. You can't try and penetrate it again to get back, but you do use it." She stated. "In order to leave the Hidden Forest, you need to make almost like… your own portkey with the lake. There are 4 items the person must get… well actually, the fourth one isn't exactly an item. It's sort of like magic, so people who ended up here with a wand are luckier than we are right now."

"Are you telling me, that if we don't have a wand, we're _stuck_ here?" Draco hissed. _I'd rather drown myself in the lake than be stranded in this bloody forest with Granger constantly babbling in my ear._

"No, not exactly." She said slowly. "If someone finds themselves here without a wand, that person-- in our case people-- has to conjure up their own… power? I don't know how to describe it. It's like wandless magic. I read that wandless magic can be achieved by any form of passionate feelings. Pure hatred, desire, or love, are all the main examples of this _power_. In fact, it's kind of like how we did accidental magic when we were younger. Remember something happened when we got really mad or really wanted something even when we didn't have a wand yet?"

Draco raised his eyebrows at this. "Well we got that covered. We both want to leave this place really bad. That counts as desire right?"

"Wrong. In a way, yes. But not quite. It can't be a desire on just leaving. It's got to be a more powerful desire. Like wanting to desperately see someone back at Hogwarts again or wishing for someone back at home or… well, you get the picture. And if there are two people or more, all of them have to want the same thing." Hermione said thoughtfully. "I think that one's got to be the hardest for us."

"Great. Then, I guess we'll have to settle on pure hatred." Draco sneered. "I mean, we already got that down."

"That's too bad, 'cause I don't hate you as much as you think I do." Hermione said. "I don't even think I can call it hate. It's more of a strong dislike, with a bit of annoyance."

"_Mutual _dislike." Draco put out, blandly. "Isn't that enough?"

"Malfoy, it has to be an _intense_ energy or power." She said exasperatedly. "But let's not worry on how we're gonna get the fourth part done. We need to get the first 3 items first."

"And they are…?"

Hermione thought for a moment, trying to remember clearly what the book had said. "That person said we needed to get a hippogriff's feather, a centaur's arrow, and a leaf from the Elder Tree. When we find all of those, we have to bring them back to the lake and throw it in, simultaneously saying _portus_, which activates the portkey, and doing the 'wandless magic'."

Draco snorted. "Sounds easy enough."

Hermione laughed, not believing what she had just heard. "You can't be serious. Don't you remember your little freak attack with Buckbeak in—what was it? Third year?" She laughed while Draco scowled at the memory. That bloody creature nearly sliced his arm off!

"I can do it. Just you watch, Granger."

"Whatever you say."

Hermione turned to look at the lake, while Draco looked in the opposite direction, only to find dozens and dozens of dark trees.

"Granger, I think we have a slight problem. How the _hell_ are we supposed to find these items if we don't even know our way around the bloody forest? For all we know there could be dementors lurking around!" Draco exclaimed. Hermione stared at him. _He did have a point…_

"Well, I guess we'll just have to walk around a bit, won't we?" She said, smirking. "Unless you're afraid to."

"Please. Me? _The_ Draco Malfoy? I don't think so." He scoffed.

Hermione began walking towards the giant trees. "Well then, let's get started. The sun's up now so we have plenty of time to look for what we need while we have light. The annual quidditch match is coming up this week and I think we should be there, don't you? And you know we have that potions exam coming up in two days, plus that essay for herbology is due this weekend!"

Draco rolled his eyes as he started to follow her. "Of course you would worry about bloody _school work_ in a situation like this."


	5. Item 1: Hippogriff's Feather

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling has no right over these characters, creatures, etc. They belong to me. Just kidding. Quite the opposite really.

**A/N:** Loving the positive feedback. Sorry for the slow updates. I'm actually busier on break... anyways, some questions to be answered. Their closeness in chapter two was sudden right? Well I just wanted to show that they had a chance for friendship. Remember, they've known each other for 7 years, sharing a common room, and are finally getting to know each other. But I understand your point of view. Actually, I might bring that into play later... hm. Anyways, read and review. I wrote a lot for this chapter because I felt bad for the lack of updates.

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Draco and Hermione began their search by setting foot into the unknown surroundings of the Hidden Forest.

"At this rate, we'll never find those birds. Or horses. Or whatever the hell they are!" Draco muttered, stepping on a twig.

The crack of its snap echoed through the quiet forest. Hermione rolled her eyes. He was being such a baby. She carefully marked the path they were going, by occasionally digging little holes into the dirt. And as always, she was observing the area with the help of the sunlight that was peeking through the leaves and branches of the forest's tall, dark trees.

"Granger, what are you doing?" Draco asked, watching as she continued to dig holes into the ground.

"It's called marking where we're going so we won't get lost."

Draco snorted but didn't say anything. He looked in between the trees for any signs of life, other than themselves. Nothing. Silently, he continued to follow Hermione, who looked like she knew where she was going when in fact, she had no clue at all. The slight rustle of the leaves they walked on were the only noises they heard. The silence began to bother Draco.

"So, do hippogriffs move in herds?"

Hermione almost burst out laughing. Clearly, he hadn't been paying attention to Hagrid in _Care of Magical Creatures _class. And his face was so serious, so clueless about the subject, too. "Yes. But when it's fully grown it can choose to leave the herd to find another herd or to find a mate. Sometimes, hippogriffs can get lost or wounded and get split apart from the group." She paused, thinking for a moment. "I think Hagrid found Buckbeak and his herd in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. Apparently, they were all lying down, eating some ferrets."

Hermione laughed silently, watching Draco from the corner of her eye. He was scowling, obviously not amused by her little joke.

"How are we going to get a damn feather? These are wild, unlike the ones your giant friend showed us in class. They probably won't enjoy two human beings approaching them, plucking one of their precious feathers off and then running away with it."

"Yes that's true Malfoy, but I think we can do it if you just don't do what you did in our third year. Remember, hippogriffs are proud and sensitive creatures. They're also very polite. Did you forget how to get close to one?" She asked him, digging her foot into the soil.

"No, and I probably never will forget after that incident." He said frowning.

"Fine, then prove it. Tell me what you have to do when you come across a hippogriff." Hermione said, turning to him with her hands on her hips.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Why? You don't know?"

"I know perfectly well, thanks. Oh just get on with it. I'm just making sure you know so you don't mess this up!" She exclaimed impatiently.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Whatever you say, Gryffindor _princess_." He sneered at the word. "Okay so first you approach it slowly, then bow to show it respect. The lower, the better I presume. You wait for it to bow and if it does, you can touch it. If it doesn't, you run the hell out of there. Oh and don't blink where you look at it in the eye. Supposedly, they find people that blink a lot a bit sketchy."

Hermione began to applaud. "Well done."

"Seriously Granger, ever consider becoming Head Mistress at Hogwarts someday? You're just like McGonagall."

She glared at him, a bit offended that he compared her to her professor. "Shut it Malfoy." She turned around to start walking again but whirled around to face him. "And yes, I have." She said before she turned back around, walking a bit faster than before. Draco almost struggled to keep up with her pace.

"Slow down, Granger!"

"You have longer legs than I do!"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You should be able to keep up! I really don't see what your problem is."

"My problem is you—" Suddenly, Hermione stopped, cutting him off and making him bump into her. "What the hell, Granger?"

Hermione held up her hand and pointed. "There." She breathed. Draco looked up, using his eyes to follow the direction she was pointing to. There, just a few meters ahead of them, was a small hippogriff, cautiously watching them with its small, yellow eyes. Hermione tapped his arm. "It's a baby. I think it's lost. Go."

"Why me?" He hissed, as she gave him a slight push towards it.

"If it attacks, it won't hurt so much because its talons are just developing." She whispered.

"Granger…" He growled but reluctantly moved forward. When he got a bit closer, he bowed. He looked up slightly to see that it hadn't moved; it continued to stare at him. _Come on you stupid chicken. _The baby hippogriff tilted its head and mimicked Draco's deep bow. He heard Hermione sigh in relief. He stood up straight and took a step towards the creature. All of a sudden, it screeched and backed away. He froze in his place, unsure of what he had to do. Peeking back at Hermione, he gave her a look of confusion. She didn't seem to notice him; she was too busy watching the hippogriff's movements.

Without looking at him still, she motioned for him to come back to where she as standing. Draco obeyed, backing up without daring to turn his back to it.

"Why'd it do that?" He asked quietly.

"I think," She said slowly, "It's frightened by you. Or us. It didn't understand what you were doing or what the bow meant. It's still just a baby; I don't even think it can fly yet."

Draco looked at Hermione and then back at the small hippogriff. It was no longer screeching but still pacing around. Its eyes kept darting around, always eyeing them at some point.

"What do we do now?"

She sighed. "We wait until it calms down and try again. _I'll_ try this time." She added when Draco looked at her with a bewildered expression. He sighed with relief while Hermione rolled her eyes. _Once again, he succeeds to show that he truly is a big baby._

Hermione shifted her gaze from Draco back to where the hippogriff was. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was running away. "It's running away! Where's it going?"

Right as those words left her mouth, a shadow—_shadows_, flew over them. They looked up and saw about nine fully grown hippogriffs flying overhead, staying together. They descended gracefully through the leaves and landed with a slight thud where the baby hippogriff had been. Hermione saw it running back towards the herd, joining it. It went straight towards a larger one that screeched softly when it saw it. _That must be the mother_. Hermione thought. The head hippogriff turned its yellow eyes towards them. Draco gulped, frozen in place.

Hermione, with her daring Gryffindor courage, boldly stepped forward, confident, cautious, and polite on top of it all. The hippogriff's stare shifted from him to her, as she approached the herd. When she reached a close but still safe distance away from it, she bowed deeply, waiting for it to respond. Just in case the large hippogriff was watching him too, Draco bowed as deeply as Hermione had.

She breathed through her nose, steadily, counting to ten before looking up slightly. The hippogriff lowered its upper torso and bowed towards them, granting them permission to touch it. Draco remained where he was as Hermione slowly took small steps towards the majestic creature. She lifted her arm and held out her hand, gently touching the side of its upper body. She brushed her fingers against the feathers that were white with speckles of gray and brown.

Looking back at Draco, the corners of her mouth lifted upwards slightly. The rest of the herd was watching either Hermione or him. He nervously stood alone, watching as Hermione began petting its beak and the side of its face, murmuring soft words to it. The head hippogriff then lowered itself and spread its wings slightly. Hermione's gaped, unsure of what to do. She climbed onto its back and almost shrieked when it stood up to its full height. The hippogriff was quite tall; she could feel her heart beating as she nervously clung to its neck.

"Help me." She mouthed. Draco shifted his weight to the other foot, not knowing if he should follow.

Suddenly, the hippogriff started running towards him. He shouted in surprise and ducked, covering his face. He looked up when he heard a scream and a quick breeze passed him. The hippogriff was flying over the trees, with Hermione clinging to its neck like it was her lifeline.

"Oh Merlin."

Draco looked at the rest of the hippogriffs and slowly approached them. The one closest to him turned to look at him. Immediately, he bowed to the same height as he had before. Waiting, he looked up to see that it had already bowed. _It must've seen me bow before_. He thought, smiling to himself. He touched it gently on its back and it lowered like Hermione's had. Draco climbed on top of it, holding the side of its neck. It stood up and he tightened his grip. With a short running start, it took off, slightly gliding at first before it turned upwards.

To Draco, the ride was enjoyable. It was different from riding a broom but he was used to being in the air. Hermione, on the other hand, was about to faint. She had her eyes shut, unable to utter any sound as the hippogriff flew swiftly through the air, occasionally making sharp turns. Draco's hippogriff flew faster until it caught up to Hermione's. He felt sympathy towards the girl that he knew hated being up so high in the air like this. He felt them descending back to where they were before.

The two hippogriffs landed, nearly shaking them off. Draco slid off and bowed once again before running to Hermione. She was still clinging to the hippogriff, eyes shut and tears streaming down her face.

"Here."

He grabbed her hand and helped her down, catching her when she stumbled slightly. He bowed to Hermione's hippogriff and it bowed in return, turning away from the pair. Draco led Hermione away from the herd and sat her up against a tree. She brought her knees up to her chest and began to sob silently into her arms. Draco sat against the tree opposite her and idly played with the grass. Her sobs racked her body and Draco felt helpless. He knew of her deathly fear of flying. The whole experience probably caught her off guard.

Eventually, Hermione's sobs diminished until she was no longer crying. Draco had nearly dozed off while waiting for her to finish. He opened his eyes abruptly when he heard her groan quietly.

"What?" He asked.

Her head dropped back into her arms. "This is the second time you've seen me cry. How embarrassing." She mumbled, her cheeks tinting to a slight pink. Luckily, he couldn't see her blush through her arms. She exhaled loudly. "And we didn't even get a feather!"

"Guess again."

She lifted her head, gasping when Draco held a hippogriff's feather in between his fingers. "How'd you—"

"Pretty easy actually. Just plucked one right off while we were landing. It was loose anyways so I don't even think it felt it." He said, smirking at his achievement. Hermione's jaw dropped.

"I know I'm amazing Granger but really, no need to thank me." He said sarcastically.

"I—I— don't—" She stuttered. Draco's smirk widened.

"Now let's find us some centaurs. What is up with all these half-horse creatures anyways? I bet the Elder Tree is shaped like a horse or has horsehair for leaves or something." He chattered. Hermione giggled softly and stood up to follow him deeper into the forest. Draco handed her the feather and she took it from him, its softness tickling the palm of her hand. She put the feather safely into her pocket. Draco shoved his hands into his own pockets and allowed Hermione to lead the way. _Item one, check._


End file.
